Kenyan students experience Chinese Mid-Autumn traditions

Kenyan teachers and students put their own touch on traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn customs at the Confucius Institute at Kenyatta University on Wednesday, making peony-shaped lanterns, painting round fans, and practicing paper-cutting and calligraphy as part of an event themed "Full Moon, Full Bloom". Participants also tasted mooncakes and tried on traditional Chinese hanfu clothing.

In Chinese culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, which falls on Sept. 25 this year. Traditionally, the festival is a time for family gatherings, with the full moon and round mooncakes symbolizing reunion and completeness.

Attending the event, Tang Jianjun, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, cited the famous line of Chinese poet Su Shi, written about 1,000 years ago: "May we live long and share the beauty of the moon, though far apart," reflecting the Chinese tradition of associating the full moon with family reunion.

Kenneth K. Ngure, chairperson of the Confucius Institute Council, drew a parallel between Chinese and African traditions, citing renowned Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, in which people gather under the moon — a scene he connected to the Mid-Autumn Festival's emphasis on reunion and togetherness.

Held as part of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the event was organized by the Confucius Institute at Kenyatta University, in collaboration with the government of Heze, Shandong province, which is known for its peony culture, allowing Kenyan students to explore Chinese traditions through hands-on activities.